Escaped prisoner had ‘some of the best military training in the world’ which ‘no doubt’ helped him escape Wandsworth

The Metropolitan Police counterterrorism commander has said on Friday that the escaped prisoner from HMP Wandsworth has said that the lack of sighting of Daniel Khalife is “testament to the ingenuity” of the former British Army soldier.

Paul Birtton, founder of Britton and Time law firm, told Sky News that there is “no doubt” his military training would have helped him escape.

He said, “He’s probably monitored the movements of guards and vehicles and how the system works from from the inside out and he’s used that to his advantage.”

He added, that he “very much doubts” he would have acted alone to escape Wandsworth prison.

Dominic Murphy said that fugitive Khalife has skills that members of the public do not have then praised the UK as we have “some of the best military in the world.”

The commander said he has an “open mind” as to whether or not the terror suspect is still in the UK.

He said, “This was a really busy area of London and we’ve had no confirmed sightings in any of that information, which is a little unusual, and perhaps testament to Daniel Khalife’s ingenuity in his escape.

“It’s important that we remember that we have some of the best military in the world here in the UK and he was trained.

“He was a trained soldier – so ultimately he has skills that perhaps some sections of the public don’t have.”

Murphy added, “He’s a very resourceful individual, clearly, and our experience of him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at the moment.”

The Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said they are “looking at” whether or not Khalife was assisted by prison guards or other inmates at HMP Wandsworth.

Sir Mark said that they have had “bits of intelligence” leading to activity across the UK in the manhunt for the former British Army soldier.

Sir Mark told LBC’s Nick Ferrari, “This is a massive operation, well into three figures of officers involved.

“We’ve got somebody charged with terrorist and Official Secrets Act offensives. That is extremely concerning that he is now back on the loose and we need to get hold of him as quickly as possible.”

He added that it “seems odd” Khalife was not placed in a high-security prison such as HMP Belmarsh, which perhaps enabled him to escape.

He then said, “If we thought he was about to go out immediately and be an immediate threat to local communities, of course that would have been a factor, but that’s not a factor in this case.”